Blackstrap molasses, or simply blackstrap, is the dark, viscous molasses remaining after maximum extraction of sugar from raw sugar cane. This residual product of sugar refining is used in the manufacture of ethanol for industry and as an ingredient in cattle feed. The term is an Americanism dating from around 1920. First known use is in a book by detective Allan Pinkerton in 1877. Molasses made from young sugar cane is called sulphured molasses because of the sulfur dioxide that is added to keep the raw cane fresh until it is processed and to preserve the molasses byproducts produced from it. Unsulphured molasses is made from matured cane plants that have been allowed to ripen naturally in the field. Blackstrap molasses can be sulphured or unsulphured. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says sulfur dioxide is "generally recognized as safe" for use as a preservative -- except on meats of vegetables meant to be sold as fresh food.
See also :
* [[Sugar]]
* [[Jaggery]]
==Special Precautions of Blackstrap Molasses==